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Use these three simple but effective nutrition changes to help dig yourself out of a hole.

If you’re a fairly serious runner, you’re bound to go through periods in your training cycle when you over do it. Even elite runners, who have coaches literally monitoring almost every step they take, can fall into the trap of training too hard and pushing their body beyond its limits.

While finding the perfect balance between putting in the necessary miles and allowing for proper recovery is the Holy Grail for all runners, the reality is that many often overstep the tight rope that is optimal training and find themselves bordering on being overtrained and desperate for recovery.

If you ever find yourself in this dreaded position, backing off your training isn’t the only solution, nor is it guaranteed to improve the situation. The amount and types of food you put into your body before–and even more importantly, after–your workouts can help the recovery process. On the next few pages are three simple, but effective nutrition changes you can make to help dig yourself out of that ovetraining hole.

Jeff Gaudette

Jeff has been running for 13 years, at all levels of the sport. He was a two time Division-I All-American in Cross Country while at Brown University and competed professionally for 4 years after college for the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project. Jeff's writing has been featured in Running Times magazine, Endurance Magazine, as well as numerous local magazine fitness columns.